Wicca???????

Question

I am Roman-catholic and I really really really wanna explore wicca! I know its not evil and It looks really interesting =D I just wanna know if I can study, learn, and perform wicca without doing the initiation ritual? Because I'm gonna continue my catholic faith along with the wicca. And I think that years from now I'm going to leave wicca and just stick with catholic, But I'm not totally sure. now this question is not for people who dont like wicca, and who think it is evil, and if your gonna be like that, keep your comments to yourself. Thank you!

so yeah, I don't wanna do wicca for the spells, I like their Beliefs, the way they view the world and stuff like that. I never said I wanted to do it just for the spells =D okay so yeah!!!

And.....The only reason I'm gonna try to do both is cuz my whole family is catholic and I have to live with them but If you think it would help to just tell them "yeah, I'm gonna practice wicca" and leave the catholic faith I will. So should I do that?

Answer 1

Of course you can study and learn Wicca without 'doing the initiation ritual'. Read some books (many questions already here as to what to read, just look and form your own judgement). You may be surprised at how similar the underlying ethos is (someone mentioned burning at the stake earlier; well this time it's going to be me, I guess).

Is the initiation ritual necessary in order to 'perform' Wicca? A matter for your own conscience or the rules of any group you join.

Does 'doing the initiation rite' prevent you remaining Catholic? See my previous answer, as well as the one about being burned at the stake.

Okay, a little more seriously on that last. I know some Wiccan groups who have rules that you can't attend religious rituals of other faiths 'without permission', this latter to allow wedding, funeral etc. In my experience, most don't care. And, although I've never been Catholic myself, I also know a few priests who don't have problems with members of their flock attending circles. That said, the three ex-Catholic friends I have who are now Wiccan-or-thereabouts felt they eventually had to make a choice.

ffetcher

Answer 2

In my opinion, which is based on many years of training ad experience, the traits that define Wicca are:

1) The Wiccan Rede.
2) The honoring of the Divine in male/female polarities.
3) Holy days tied to the solar calendar (the sabbats) and the lunar calendar (the esbats).
4) The practice of witchcraft.
5) Belief in the Law of Threefold Return.
6) A specific ritual structure that is distinctly Wiccan.
7) The belief that the universe is the living body of God/dess, and therefore sacred.
8) The absence of a concept of sin (original or otherwise).
9) The fact that it consists entirely of clergy; each Wiccan is considered a functioning priest/ess.
10) The concept of equality between the sexes.
11) A sexual element to the liturgy, specifically in those passages that address the relationship between the Goddess and the God.
12) The concept that joy and pleasure, with harm to none, are valid and potentially sacred.
13) Tolerance for other faiths; often the belief that all religions are potentially valid paths to the Divine; "all religions are correct to their adherents".

If you can't fulfill most those criteria, and in particular the Wiccan Rede, the honoring of Deity as God and Goddess, and the acceptance of sexuality and pleasure as fundamentally sacred... sorry, you aren't Wiccan. You could call yourself Pagan-influenced, but you are NOT a member of the Wiccan religion.

Here's an essay outlining some other reasons why Christianity and Wicca don't play well together:

http://wicca.timerift.net/christianwicca.shtml

Best of luck to you on your path.

Answer 3

No, you do not have to be initiated to study Wicca. There are tons of books on the subject that are available. however, If you consider yourself Catholic by faith I can't imagine why you would WANT to perform a Wiccan ritual. Wiccan rituals honor gods that presumably you don't believe in.

Answer 4

In all honesty I don't think you can practice both religions at the same time. This is not to put you down it's just saying that it would be like practicing catholicism and judaism at the same time. You can however practice magic without being wiccan which is actually quite common. People do it all the time and call it a miracle. Please do not take offense to what I have said and if you choose to practice both then so be it. But you must do it without lying, to your or your god(s).

Answer 5

You don't have to do an initiation to practice Wicca. And you can practice wicca with you religion now.

Answer 6

You can't be Wiccan and Roman-Catholic. You can't just pick which religions you want to be. I believe you are called to them.

It isn't right or safe to dabble in different religions. Especially if you don't know what you are doing. Wiccans learn for years and years and still never REALLY know what they are doing. I have been studying for two years and it's very hard and time consuming. So, I suggest you either stay Catholic or you become Wiccan because it isn't good to dabble.

Answer 7

Using magic, light magic, casting spells and things like that ARE NOT the Wiccan religion. It is a religion, not something you PERFORM.

Christianity has a long and storied tradition of magic. Try Christian mysticism, instead.

Saying you want to be Wiccan for the spells is like saying you want to be Jewish for bagels, hun.

The Magical Writings of Thomas Vaughan:
http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Writings-Thomas-Vaughan/dp/0615149014

Greater Key of Solomon:
http://www.amazon.com/Greater-Key-Solomon-MacGregor-Mathers/dp/142092818X

Ancient Christian Magic:
http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Christian-Magic-Marvin-Meyer/dp/0691004587

The Divine Synthesis and Realization of Magic by the Christian Revelation
http://www.amazon.com/Divine-Synthesis-Realization-Christian-Revelation/dp/1425305385/

While there are bans against specific magical acts in the Bible, these books all detail magic allowed to Christians.
If you believe in a singular god, Christ, sin, etc, please stay on your side of the fence and stick to CHRISTIAN MAGIC.

If you aren't with the gods, it's not Wicca.

Answer 8

You may do as you wish ,however You will have to leave the Catholic Church.You will be worshiping gods and goddesses and the earth.

Answer 9

You need to be totally committed if you want to do spells and such....they can be very dangerous without doing the necessary rituals and knowing the right things to carry out before each spell. You are speaking with spirits and guides and I'm sure you don't want to get hooked up with anything evil...and believe me, if you don't know what you are doing, you can get into a lot of trouble. It's hard reading but if you really want to know a bit more, read "The Tree Of Life" by Israel Regardie. It's heavy reading but worth it if you want to continue down this path.

Answer 10

if i was you i'd go to my local bookshop and buy some beginner books on wicca and witchcraft and do some private exploration, some small circles on your own and so on.

However, i'm pretty sure you can't be both a true roman catholic and a wiccan as roman catholic's think wicca is bad... it's good to explore though! luck